Most nurses enter the field because they love helping people. Unfortunately, working in a large hospital or clinic doesn’t always offer much more than that. As an employed nurse, you get to help patients, but you are also at the mercy of managers, directors, and others are in charge of pay and scheduling.
If you’re ready to work for yourself instead of someone else, there are some things you’ll want to consider. To make the transition as smooth as possible, have a look at the following tips.
1. Do some research on the market.
Are freelance nurses a thing where you live? Is there a market for self-employed nurses? Doing a bit of research to answer these questions will help you discover if the transition will work out for you. A quick Google search will help you see if others are doing the same thing that you’re interested in. If you see lots of self-employed nurses working near you, don’t be afraid of the competition. Instead, take it as a sign that the market is healthy and that there is a high demand for your services.
2. Figure out your specialty.
Most nurse entrepreneurs will do better if they have a specialty. It may sound like a good idea to offer general services, but the fact is that most potential patient/clients will be more comfortable with a nurse that has a specialization related to their health issues.
Another benefit of having a specialty is the fact that you most likely love what you do. If you’re willing to study and get extra experience in a specific specialty, chances are you’ll do better at staying with your decision to work for yourself. It takes a lot of motivation and self-discipline to work on your own, so you should definitely make sure it’s in a field that you absolutely love.
3. Boost your tech skills.
Being a great nurse is a skill that many people will pay good money for, so chances are that you won’t have many problems finding patients. However, there is a whole other side of entrepreneurial nursing that is often overlooked. The technical aspect of the work is becoming more and more complex as time goes on. As it becomes more of a mainstay in daily life and daily nursing, you must make sure that your technical skills are up to snuff. Medical records and scheduling are now often done mostly online.
You’ll want to continue offering simple options like this to your patients, so you’ll need to make yourself familiar with a variety of apps, programs, and software that do the things you need.
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If you already have great technical skills, you can put these to good use as a technical consultant to companies that design software for the medical field. Healthcare organiziations looking to integrate new software into their existing technical setups would also benefit from your expertise.
4. Think outside the nursing box
As a working nurse, you’re probably used to your schedule and routine. You work with patients, do paperwork, etc. If you work on your own, however, your options are wide open for what you can do with your healthcare knowledge.
Do you have any other passions that you could integrate into your nursing experience? If you love to cook, for instance, you may be able to offer healthy cooking classes or create online videos highlighting the importance of healthy eating. If you have a penchant for teaching or public speaking, consider starting your own nursing assistant program to help others learn what you already know. You could also seek out opportunities in your community to teach health management or elder-care.
5. Learn how to market yourself.
As a qualified professional, you most certainly possess knowledge and skills that will help others. The biggest roadblock that you may face in becoming a nurse entrepreneur is marketing yourself. Once you come up with how you want to begin working on your own, you must get patients and/or clients to pay for your services. Look into business cards, websites, and even brochures to let people know what you are offering.
Final Thoughts
As a nurse, you possess skills and knowledge that are invaluable. Many people around the country will pay good money to avail of what you have. If you have a passion for nursing, striking out on your own is within your reach.
A good place to begin may be your specialty. Do some online research to see what other nurse entrepreneurs are doing and what specialties are out there. As long as you are willing to put in some time doing research and some work marketing yourself, you’ll find success as an entrepreneur.
